Celebrian's Capture
by AllonsyMiddleEarth
Summary: The telling of Celebrian's capture, the aftermath, and her decision to leave Middle Earth. (All Tolkein characters of course) Celebrian, Elrond, Elrohir, Elladan, Arwen, Glorfindel, Erestor &Lindir. Galadriel&Celeborn in later chapters. As always reviews would be awesome!
1. Bad News

Elrond paced in his study, unable to focus on anything, and unable to leave and go be helpful anywhere else. Nearly four of the longest days of their lives ago he had sent out almost all of his men, certainly all the best, in search of his wife Celebrían, who had been captured by Orcs on what should have been an easy journey to Lorien.

The news had been brought back hurriedly by Glorfindel. He was nearly in tears to give Elrond the news, even as the much aged and fearless warrior he was.

"My Lord." He had said shakily. "I bear news of the worst kind."

"Out with it, then!" Elrond had commanded, less kind and controlled than he usually was, knowing something must be terribly wrong to have shaken Glorfindel.

"We were attacked by an Orc pack on our journey to Lorien. We tried to fight them off, but there were endless numbers of them…and the Lady Celebrían was captured. All the rest of our company is still out looking for her. There was no sign when I left."

Elrond's hands had been gripping the back of his chair, the knuckles growing whiter and tenser as Glorfindel went on. His head was bent with emotion and his eyes were shut tightly.

"We will find her, my lord." Glorfindel said carefully, moving towards Elrond.

He snapped back into action.

"Of course we will." Elrond answered passingly, unable to imagine the possibility of alternatives. "Send out every warrior we have. Span all of Middle-earth if we have to. Send my sons to me, and Arwen too. Quickly!"

Glorfindel hurried off, and Lindir behind him hurried to help.

Elrond was distraught, pacing back and forth, but quickly erased all signs of it off his face when his children walked in.

"Ada…" Elladan said quietly, using the childish name they rarely used anymore and embracing his father.  
Elrond held him close for a short moment, then released him and looked between the three of them. They had heard what happened from Glorfindel when he told the men and gathered the warriors, which was good, because Elrond was not sure he could repeat the tale without showing his fears to his children.

"We are riding out too." Elrohir stated firmly, expecting his father to argue.  
Elrond reached out and squeezed his son's shoulder. "I knew you would ask, and I will not stop you."  
They were young, too young in his opinion, but they were of age and were more skilled than many of Elrond's older men. Together, with the bond they shared as twins, they made an unstoppable force in battle, and were skilled enough in tracking too. And being close to their mother, they might be able to sense things in finding her that the other warriors would not.

"I am too!" Arwen told him indignantly. "She is my mother too!"

"Certainly not!" Elrond said sternly. He would not lose Arwen too.

Arwen grumbled a little, but she knew her father well enough to know that he would not let her go no matter what she said, and that this was not a good time to argue with him.

"You will stay here with me. I must stay and be ready to heal her as soon as she can be brought back." His voice was flatter than usual.

Elrohir and Elladan stood to leave.

"Find her." Elrond told them, his eyes searching theirs, unable to keep the emotion from choking his voice now.

"We will." They answered in unison, both turning back and giving their father and sister each a quick hug before hastening out the door.


	2. Galadriel and Celeborn

"I have urgent news, from Rivendell." Haldir stood before his Lord and Lady shortly after the news had been brought to him, his manner even more solemn than usual. "Lady Celebrían has been captured by Orcs on her way journeying here. Lord Elrond has sent out every man he has in search of her, but no word of her recovery has come since we last heard."

Galadriel let out a small gasp and went to stand closer to Celeborn. Celeborn took a few moments before he was able to speak.

"Send out some of our men as well. We are far, and it may take too many days to reach her, but I will not do nothing." His voice was shaking, whether with anger or fear or both, Haldir could not tell. He bowed low and quickly hurried away.

As soon as he was gone Celeborn and Galadriel embraced each other. In that moment, they did not feel like the great and powerful, ageless Elves they were, who had seen so many years of battle and death and so much else.

They felt entirely powerless now, fearing for the life of their only child, unable to have prevented this or to do anything of use now.

After awhile they moved apart, and Galadriel made move to go to her mirror.

"Don't." Celeborn said gently, not letting go of her arm for a moment, his eyes holding hers. "What you see will not help us or anyone else find her. We must wait; I do not think either of us are ready to see what the mirror may show."

Galadriel looked at him for a long moment before turning away, and Celeborn left to find and speak to the riders being sent out.

"Have you seen Galadriel?" Celeborn asked one of his advisors some hours later.

"Not since you left to speak to the men. I saw her walking earlier," He gestured in a direction, "but I know not where she was headed"

Celeborn's eyes narrowed in thought, then widened. "Oh no."

He hurried down to the mirror and saw that it had recently been used; the Ewer she used to pour in the water had fallen to the ground where it now lay, cracked.

Celeborn knelt down, and running a finger along the crack he closed his eyes and sighed, before rising and turning fast toward their chambers. He could not command the mirror like Galadriel could, it was not worth even a glance of what it might decide to show him.

It was dark, but even from the hallway his elven ears had picked up the faint sounds of a sob. Celeborn could not even remember the last time he had heard his wife cry. He opened their door slowly, seeing the black darkness of the room and her pale figure curled on her side of their bed.

"Meleth nîn." He said softly, walking over to her. She sat up, her satin nightgown flowing around her, her long golden hair in one stream down her back, and her fair face strewn with tears.

"You were right, but I had to."

"I know." Celeborn embraced her and held her until she was able to speak more.

"Galadriel, meleth, tell me what you saw." He feared the worst, and Galadriel was shielding her thoughts from him so he could not see what she had seen.

"I saw the present, and nothing of the future. I saw terrible things…unspeakable things." Her deep and normally quiet voice was now hardly above a whisper. "The blood they...they beat her and they…" She shook her head unable to speak it, but Celeborn knew what she meant. There was no word in the elven tongue for that horror. "She tried to get away from them. She almost did at one point, she was strong and she fought, but there were too many of them, it was her against an entire orc pack. They caught her and stabbed her with a kind of poisoned dagger… and now she is looking horribly weak." Galadriel took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I do not think that she has much time. I hope Elrond's men find her soon, because there is no way anyone from Lothlorien will be able reach her in time."

Celeborn bowed his head and could say nothing. They spent the next few hours into the night holding to each other for comfort, praying that things were not getting worse for their daughter and that she would be found in time. If it were not already too late.

Finally Celeborn spoke. "We must not fear the worst. We always taught her to have strength and hope in the face of darkness, and now for her, so must we. We will prepare for a journey to Imladris, so that the moment Elrond sends word she has been found- and we have to believe that will happen, we may set forth."  
Galadriel forced a little smile at him, though it did not reach her eyes. "You are right." She said, stroking his face gently. "We must be strong for her. When she is found, she will need it."

They said little for the rest of the night and slept not at all, watching the morning light slowly lift the darkness, praying that news might come with the rising of the sun.

_  
meleth- love  
Meleth nîn- my love

A/N: To my knowledge, there _isn't _a word in the elven tongue for what was implied happened to Celebrîan, which is that she was raped. There isn't a Sindar word, anyway, not in the online dictionaries.


	3. Found at Last

Days dragged by, and no news was brought back to Rivendell. Elrond slept little, if at all, and Arwen was not faring much better. The whole of the usual cheerful and song-filled valley was quiet, all the elves left missing their beloved Lady and praying for her safe return.

As the afternoon of another endless day dragged on, Elrond's keen ears picked up the sound of a lone rider on the borders of Rivendell carrying across the quiet Valley.

He watched from the window of his study as the rider came in to view, and his heart stopped as he saw it was one of the twins- though even he couldn't tell which at this distance- riding alone.

Elrond hurried down the stairs to meet his son as he rode into the courtyard, his mind running through every possible terrible reason this twin might be alone, and where the other was. Lindir followed him, ready in case his Lord needed anything.

The twin was Elrohir.

"We have found her!" Elrohir said, slightly out of breath, swiftly dismounting his horse and as soon as his father reached him. "She is riding with Elladan. I rode ahead to warn you so you could prepare, as you may need to."  
"How bad is she?" He asked carefully.

Elrohir's eyes looked worried and tired. "She is in bad shape. She is unconscious, that's why I got here so much faster than El riding with her." His voice was flat, and he wasn't looking at Elrond.

Elrond closed his eyes and sighed, calming himself.

He turned to Lindir behind him. "Go have a stretcher sent from the house of healing, we will take her to our chambers when she arrives. Send word to Lothlorien, let them know the Lady Celebrían has been found. And please, please find a way to distract Arwen for a little while. I do not want her to see her mother like this." His eyes pleaded the younger elf's.

Lindir bowed slightly and hurried off, still with the graceful movement of an elf despite his hurry.

Elrohir filled him in on what they had found, and Elrond's mind caught only fragments, unable to process or understand this happening.

The twins had found her deep in an orc cave, though it was, oddly, nearly unguarded by the time they reached it. The smell of blood was how they tracked it- Elrond flinched at this, and they had again found few orcs surrounding her at this point, whether because they had fled in fear or simply gotten bored of the sport of torture, Elrohir knew not.

When Elladan finally came into view, Elrond felt ill with horror and rage at the sight of Celebrían covered in blood and so pale, wrapped tightly in a blanket that the twins must have brought for her, since everything she was wearing was torn and covered in dirt or blood. Her hair, usually silver clean and perfect, was now knotted and streaked with dirt and blood.

Elrond's heart ached for her pain and he started muttering angrily to himself in Quenya, but quietly enough that no one else heard clearly enough to make it out.

When Elladan came to a stop Elrond moved forward and to take Celebrían from him so Elladan could dismount. Elrond lifted her easily in his strong arms, carrying her over to where two elves were waiting with the stretcher.  
He set her down gently, trying not to worry so much about how limp she was and how shallow her breathing was, or how ice cold she was despite the warmth of the day and the warmth Elladan had tried to give her, and the group quickly moved her upstairs to Elrond's chambers.

After hours upon hours of working over her and healing her, Elrond sat exhausted beside the bed Celebrían lay on with his head in his hands. He had accepted little help from the other healers, or from the twins, feeling this was his fault somehow and that he owed it to Celebrían to do everything he could himself.

She would not die of her wounds. If that meant anything, at this point. He had cleaned her and begun healing her wounds, though most of them were quite deep or infected. One of her wounds was poisoned and would take time before healing, but Elrond was skilled enough that it would heal with time. It would not be easy, though. Elrond feared the poison, while not enough to kill an elf, had done quite a bit of damage. Her body was wracked with infection, and heightened by the effects of trying to fight off the poison.

The healing process itself had been long and painful for him too, to see every wound that had been inflicted on her, and to know that many of his worst fears had come true of the torment she suffered at the hands of the orcs. After what had happened to her the effect the wounds would have on her mentally left him most worried. Elves are gentle beings, even in battle never killing or inflicting any harm where not absolutely necessary. To experience cruelty and torment for days on end at the hands of an orc pack…most elves would not survive what she had, Elrond thought, drawing in a shaky breath.

Celebrían was strong, he knew, no daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn could be anything but. Yet still she was still fragile, gentle even for an elf, and he knew not how she would fare.

Ridiculous thoughts flew through his mind now. If only he had stopped her from going, somehow foreseen this. He had already lost his brother, two sets of parents, his mentor, and now he had failed to see this coming, to do anything to stop it.

Elrond sighed and lifted his face from his hands, watching her sleep as her chest calmly rose and fell with her breaths, her open eyes staring into worlds beyond the present. He felt powerless. He was Lord of Imladris, he was over 6,000 years old. He was one of the most powerful Elf Lords in Middle Earth, he possessed the most powerful of the three elven Rings of Power, and still this had happened. To the one person, save his children, that he loved more than anything else in this world, and he could do so little to help her now.

He began to drift off uneasily himself after a half hour or so. He was exhausted from all the energy healing had taken out of him, and he hadn't sat still for a moment since he had heard Elrohir on his way and heard she was coming.

Before Elrond really fell asleep though, Celebrían suddenly sat up gasping with one jerking movement, waking from a nightmare that had been real not long ago, her pulse racing at the memory of some unclear horror of orcs. She realized she was no longer in the orc cave, but it did little to calm her down.

Elrond was there in an instant, holding her and stroking her silver hair, now clean. "Shh, Celebrían." He said quietly, looking into her eyes, which were brimming with tears. "I am here."

"Elrond…" She gasped, unable to cohesively say anything else in her panic, and though she recognized him, she still shied away from his touch at first.

"You are safe now." He whispered, his deep eyes boring worriedly into hers. He couldn't help it, but his worry made her feel worse, because she knew that now he was sharing her pain. She could see it in his eyes, and feel it in her mind and in the way he held her when she finally relaxed at his touch.

"...terrible…" She was crying now. "They….they…." She was looking at him through her wavering tears, unable to complete her sentence, to attempt to put the unspeakable horror they'd done to her into words.

"I know." Elrond said, pulling her close against him as she began to sob into his familiar shoulder. He had been the one to heal her; of course he knew every terror that had happened.

Now that he had her in his arms he could sense her thoughts again, and her nightmares echoed through his own head. He could hear her screams and the harsh words, taunts, yells, and cruel jeers of the orcs. He could feel, somewhat, the pain from knives that had pierced flesh, nerve, and vessels, he could feel the burn of the poison.  
Elrond squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could somehow simply absorb all the pain and memories and leave Celebrían free of them, her soul unmarred.

Her soul...aside from bodily weakness, her, once incredibly bright, feä itself felt weak, faded, almost nonexistent. Like she was a near empty shell. But he could not let her fade. It wouldn't happen, their feä were intertwined through their bond as husband and wife. Was his own feä enough to support them both, could it restore her own?

"I know." Elrond's own eyes were brimming with tears as he listened to her sobs, both current and the ones in both their minds now.

"You are safe now." He repeated. "I will not leave your side again for anything, I promise."


	4. Beginning to heal

A little while after Celebrían had fallen asleep again, Elrond quietly went to find his children. All three of them were waiting outside the door to his chambers, sitting facing each other without speaking, and they jumped up immediately when they saw their father. Lindir was there too.

"How is she?" Elladan spoke first.

"She is healing." Elrond said. "She will heal. Her wounds were bad, one of them was seriously poisoned, but there is nothing that won't heal with time. She is asleep now."

The four breathed collective sigh of relief, and Elrond forced a small smile.

Elrond turned to Lindir, expecting a message.

"I am to tell you word has been sent from Lorien; Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel are on their way here as we speak. They left as soon as word reached them the Lady Celebrían had been recovered."

"Good, good." Elrond said. "Thank you Lindir."

Lindir bowed and turned to leave. "I am glad she was found and is recovering! I shall go tell the good news!" He said sincerely and headed off down the hall.

"But how is she feeling?" Arwen asked quietly, once Lindir was out of sight.

Elrond hesitated, knowing his children were too old to lie to, but feeling they were still young enough that he didn't want to worry them.

"I do not know." He said, honestly. "What happened was terrible; I do not know how soon or how fully she will be able to recover." His voice broke as he spoke, and he took a deep shaky breath.

No one said anything, and Arwen hugged her father.

"Can we see her when she wakes up?" Elrohir asked.

"We shall see how she is then, and I will send for you when you can see her. For now, you should all try get some rest. It has been a long few days for everyone." Elrond said with a meaningful look at the twins- both were looking exhausted, even elves can not go forever without rest- and he went back inside.

"Neither of them are all right." Arwen said.

"No." Elladan answered, still staring unseeingly at the door. There was an angry fierceness in his eyes Arwen had never seen before, as he thought about the few orcs they had been able to slay in revenge for this, and how many more were out there.

Arwen touched his shoulder, looking worried, and he softened his expression upon seeing her worried one.

"They will be." He said to her comfortingly. "But I doubt that anything, for any of us, will ever be quite the same again."

The next time Celebrían woke Elrond was sitting in the exact spot he'd been when she fell asleep. She sat up slowly.

"My lady." He said softly, helping her up and propping up the pillows behind her. "How do you feel? Do you need anything?"

"Water?" She choked, still hoarse from crying earlier and during her ordeal.

Elrond jumped to hand her a glass of water that was sitting on the bedside table, and she almost smiled at how he was acting, catering to her so quickly like he was.

Her hands shook from weakness, so he held the cup for her and she let her arms drop, making no effort to move more than she had to.

"Thank you." She said, her voice slightly more clear now, after she'd drained half the glass.

"How do you feel?" His dark eyes looked deep into her clear blue ones, where no amount of her pretending could hide her true emotions from him; he knew her too well for that.

"Better now that I am back here with you." She said looking down, her voice quiet. "Thank you for finding me." She reached for his hand and laced her fingers with his, her eyes filling with tears again and she choked them back.

"Thank our sons." Elrond said, stroking her hair with his other hand, and she leaned into his touch.

"I wish they hadn't seen me like that." Celebrían wished no one in Imladris had to see her like this, still. "Or you."

Elrond had no answer, and said nothing.

"How many days was it?" Celebrían asked, still looking down.

"Twelve. Including the journey back."

She didn't say anything, looking lost in fearful memories.

"I don't want to talk about it." She said finally, looking up at him. Her voice was painfully weak. "I wish I could stop remembering."

"I imagine so." Elrond said, and he shifted so he sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder, and he registered that she was still shaking, whether with fear or weakness he did not know. Elrond laid his cheek to the top of her head, stroking her arm in gentle circles with his fingertips.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on nothing but the feel of being in his warm, strong arms, inhaling his familiar sent deeply, trying desperately to forget.

Elrond's thoughts wandered to the orcs, and for his wife's sake he tried to keep himself from fueling his anger that this had happened. If he were not so dedicated to staying by Celebrían's side, he would be out right now hunting down and slaying every orc in Middle- earth.

Celebrían must have sensed his thoughts- she usually did, their bond was strong- because she looked up at him and said simply, "You are thinking about revenge."

"Yes" He told her. "If I could be slaying orcs and be by your side at the same time, I would be."

"Please don't." She said softly, and he looked at her in surprise. "I do not want you focusing on your anger. And I do not want to think about you in danger. I want you here."

He started to protest at the "danger" part.

"It is not more than I can handle!" He said, his eyes flashing darkly, but he stopped when she shuddered slightly.

"All the same…I don't want to think about orcs. I just want to try to get past it right now, and I do not want you dwelling on it either." She said, leaning her head back against his chest and fell silent again.

Elrond turned his mind to the twins and Arwen instead, as a distraction from orcs.

"How are the children?" She asked after a while, following his thoughts.

"They are worried about you. Also, your parents are on their way." Elrond lifted his head a little and looked down at her. "The twins and Arwen were asking to see you, when you're ready."

"I'd like to see them." She pushed herself up and smiled the closest thing to a real smile Elrond had seen yet, though it seemed to contrast with her horribly pale face.

Elrond sent for them and helped Celebrían change into a soft and comfortable dress, supporting her when she could hardly stand. Her bruises were worse even than they had been when they had brought her in, and none of her dresses could hide the ones across her collarbones or a large one across her cheek.

When the door opened Arwen appeared first, her face calm but her eyes full of worry. When she saw her mother standing only because Elrond was supporting her she hesitated, then Celebrían opened her arms to her and Arwen rushed forward and hugged her tightly, comfortingly.  
The twins hugged her in turn, and then Arwen took her mother's arm and led her to the ledge by one of the windows and they sat, Celebrían supported fully by pillows and by Arwen. The five of them talked for a while, though Celebrían could not do much talking.

After a little while Elrond excused himself, thinking while Celebrían had the children with her he should probably go find Glorfindel and Erestor and make sure he was not missing any crises in the running of Rivendell while he had been absent from duties for the last few days.


	5. Tea and Advice, Nighttime Thoughts

"Elrond!" Erestor said warmly when Elrond knocked on the door to his study and entered to find Erestor and Glorfindel inside. Glorfindel spun around; Erestor crossed the room in one step and embraced Elrond.

"It is good to see you!" Erestor said when he stepped away. "Tell us how you are."

"Be honest." Glorfindel added, guiding Elrond to a chair.

"Have you even slept once in all these days?" Erestor asked.

"Can we get you anything?" Glorfindel offered, turning to where he had a pot of tea.

"Is Celebrían awake?" Erestor tried not to sound worried.

"How is she?" Glorfindel did not hide his worry.

"Can we see her soon?" Erestor asked.

"Not to rush, if she needs time, of course." Glorfindel added.

"Do you need time?" Erestor eyed him closely.

"Do any of you need anything?" Glorfindel now watched him too.

"Let me breathe!" Elrond said with a hint of his old laugh, holding up his hands. Both elves silenced at once, except for Glorfindel's pouring a cup of tea, and waited for their Lord to speak.

"You've guessed exactly what happened then, I presume?" Elrond said finally, looking between them.

"It is that bad then…our fears are confirmed?" Glorfindel asked quietly.

Elrond nodded, taking the tea from Glorfindel.

His advisors both sighed, not knowing what to say. They had lived in Rivendell long, and knew how strong Elrond and Celebrían's bond was. And everyone loved them both, far beyond only loyal duty to their Lord and Lady; it was terrible to see them suffer.

Elrond tilted the cup a little, watching the tea swirl.

"I do not know how to help her." His voice broke. "Her wounds will heal, but I fear she never will. I see it in her eyes…" He trailed off, and Erestor squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"I can not watch her fade." Elrond looked up at them, deep fear through the tears in his eyes. "After...I can not."

"We are not going to let that happen." Glorfindel said firmly. "She has all of us, and if anyone can recover from this it is Celebrían, with you at her side."

Elrond nodded silently, staring back into his tea, and Glorfindel and Erestor exchanged worried looks.

Eventually he spoke again. "Is there anything else I need to know? What have I missed?"

"Everything is under control." Glorfindel said soothingly. "Just normal trade agreements, things like that. Nothing we can not handle for you."

"You need not worry, you have got enough on your plate right now." Erestor added.

"Thank goodness, then." Elrond said with relief.

"There is one thing that may require your attention, though." Erestor said, exchanging a look with Glorfindel when the blonde elf's head snapped towards him at Erestor's words.

"It might be nothing..." Glorfindel started.

"...but we've been worried about your sons." Erestor said with a firm look at Glorfindel, knowing he was trying to protect Elrond by leaving him out of the problem, but Erestor disagreed. Elrond was likely the only one who really could deal with it.

"What? They seem fine when I see them, what is going on?" Elrond asked him.

"Well, of course they would act fine around you and Celebrían." Erestor responded. "And I do not think many are noticing, but as we have known them since elflings it is more obvious to us. I think they are both struggling with anger their over what has happened, and they feel they did not slay enough orcs when rescuing Celebrian to make up for what happened. Especially Elladan. They've kept to themselves more recently, they hardly are seen outside of training or being with you two or Arwen, and when they are out they barely speak to anyone. Which you know is rare for them; they can have their quiet moments, but they are always laughing and joking whenever they can."

Elrond looked to Glorfindel for his opinion, and he signed reluctantly. "It is like you said with Celebrían. You can see the pain in her eyes, and you can see an anger and fierceness in theirs that was never there before."

"Well then, they have been hiding it well around me." Elrond said with a sigh. "I will talk to them. But what can I say? I am having the same problems; I would be out hunting down every orc in existence if it weren't for Celebrían."

"I know not." Glorfindel said. "But they are your sons, and you know then better than anyone, I think you will be more help to each other than anyone else can be."

"And of course, as always, let us know if we can do anything for any of you." Erestor added.

Elrond nodded his thanks, deep in thought, and the three of them sat in silence while Elrond finished his tea before returning to Celebrían.

The next while passed much the same, Elrond hardly left Celebrían's side, and her family and closer friends, mainly Arwen, Erestor, and Glorfindel, frequently visited her. Still though Celebrían had panic attacks frequently, and could not be calmed by anyone but Elrond. She was still very weak physically, which wasn't helped by the fact that she barely was willing to eat anything and Elrond practically had to beg her to. Elrond's only hope was that Galadriel and Celeborn might offer her more help when they arrived.

The night before they were due to arrive, Celebrían had already woken up three times in a panic, and each time Elrond had already been awake and spent a good deal of time calming her. After another while of seeing Orcs flash before her eyes every time she began to drift off and feeling they could be in every shadow around her, she decided to forgo sleep altogether. She waited until Elrond fell asleep beside her; since it was late and he was exhausted enough it didn't take long, and she slipped out of bed to the window. She stood looking over Rivendell illuminated in the full moon. The warm early summer breeze blew in, teasing her hair, and she inhaled deeply. It smelled of trees and grasses and far off rain. It smelled of life, and for an instant it almost made her feel alive like she hadn't since her capture.

Since her return Celebrían felt like she was not alive anymore. She felt like she had died in those orc caves and she was now caught between life and real death, the scales only being tipped towards life because Elrond had been so strongly and desperately pulling her back. She felt a burden on everyone around her and almost wished she had. Almost. Still though, she felt neither here nor there. Her eyes passed over every familiar detail of the view of Rivendell, every leafy tree and small green hill, every pristine house and smooth path of the Valley that she knew and loved, but she felt separate from it- like it was not real and she was observing it from far, far above.

She stood like that for hours; letting tears fall then letting them dry where they were, then repeating the process. Until too soon the morning light began to creep over the edges of her view, threatening to drag her out of her current thoughts, and she shut the curtains and crawled back into bed beside Elrond.


	6. Galadriel and Celeborn Arrive

The next morning dawned and Celebrían was having trouble forcing herself to get out of bed, not feeling ready to face the court and her parents in front of everyone.

"You don't have to if you don't want to; no one will mind, and your parents will come here." Elrond had told her gently, but she had simply shaken her head, and eventually managed to drag herself up.

She bathed and dressed, with Elrond's help, in one of her more formal gowns, a deep silky blue one that used to be a favorite of hers. She stood now holding a hairbrush in front of one of the mirrors, starting expressionlessly at the reflection she barely recognized, not sure what to do with her hair or anything else.

Her bruises were almost completely gone and her wounds and cuts were beginning to heal, but her reflection looked no less broken to her.

Elrond came over and took the brush from her, pulling it gently through her wet hair, and she turned away from the mirror with her eyes closed.

"You look beautiful, my lady." He told her when he finished.

She looked back at him almost blankly, no trace of emotion in her eyes.

"I do not feel it." She walked away to find shoes, leaving Elrond wishing he knew what to say anymore.

The five of Elrond's family gathered in the courtyard the next day around noon, when they had heard the company from Lorien on their way. Most of the more important elves in Rivendell were there behind them, Glorfindel, Erestor, among others. Lindir took his place behind Elrond. Elrond had not gotten a chance to talk to his sons since speaking to his advisors about them, but he had been watching them carefully over the past couple days and he now noticed how their expressions darkened when they thought no one was watching; although, it escaped his notice that they had seen the same thing in him. The company from Lorien halted in front of them, and Elrond gave them a formal welcome, though hurried, as they dismounted their horses and bowed in return.

Formalities over, Galadriel and Celeborn looked to their daughter, and Celebrían went forward and threw herself into her mother's arms. She felt like a child in front of so many important elves and her family, but she could not bring herself to care. Celeborn put an arm around his wife and daughter and murmured soft words to them.  
When they pulled apart, Celebrían hid her red tinged eyes well from the court, and put on a smile.

She returned to Elrond's side, and he put a hand on her arm comfortingly. Galadriel and Celeborn greeted their grandchildren next. To Elrond's surprise, Galadriel embraced him too. Although she had been his mother-in-law for ages he couldn't remember the last time, if ever, that she'd hugged him. So, he was surprised when she embraced him, mentally telling him that she was sorry this had happened and thanking him for being strong for her daughter.

Dinner was a private affair tonight. The rest of the court would usually be present when there were important guests, but tonight was just for family. Elrond sat at the head of the table with Celebrían next to him, Galadriel on her side, Celeborn next to her, and the twins and Arwen across from them. Celebrían acted much more normal than she felt, but everyone present knew her well enough to catch the pain in her eyes, and the way she jumped at the slightest noises, practically clinging to Elrond or her mother. It also didn't escape anyone how the lines in Elrond's face looked more worried than ever as he watched her. Everyone else tried hard to be merry for their sake, the twins told amusing stories, and Galadriel and Celeborn talked of happy memories from the past in Lorien.

When dinner was over the younger elves left, and the four older elves went out for a walk through the quieter parts of the grounds, talking things over. After awhile Celebrían was unable to hold back her tears, and Galadriel led her away to talk privately.

Elrond could feel her pain as clearly as ever, and again, felt the overwhelming urge to be out slaying orcs. He walked over to a window overlooking the peaceful valley and gripped the ledge tightly, bowing his head and closing his eyes.

Celeborn touched Elrond's shoulder sympathetically. "How are you?" he asked gently.

"It doesn't matter how I am, she's the one who matters." Elrond answered, looking up and out over the valley."

"That is not true, and certainly not to her. But I know how you feel." He said to the younger elf. "If it were Galadriel, I know how I'd be feeling. And she's my daughter. If I were you, it would be taking everything I had not to be out hunting orcs." He said with a touch of a grim smile.

"It is." Elrond said laughing darkly.

"Of course." Celeborn said with a sigh, leaning on the window beside Elrond. "We are here for you too." He said, looking at his son in law. "For both of you, anything you need."

"Thank you." Elrond said with a more genuine smile. They both returned to looking out over the valley in silence until Arwen walked up.

"Are you all right, Adar?" She asked her father.

"Of course, Arwen." He said, hoping the look he gave her was convincing, but then it was ruined when Arwen looked at her grandfather behind him, and Celeborn shook his head with a smile.

"We are not elflings anymore, Ada." Arwen said softly. "You can talk to us too, you know."

"I know." Elrond said, putting his arm around his daughter as she leaned in to hug him and he resting his chin on her head, noting that despite her telling him she wasn't a child, she still used the childish name, _"Ada"  
_  
"I am over 2,000 years old." She said with a smile.

"And you think that is old?" Celeborn teased her.

"Old enough!" Arwen laughed. The laughter did all three of them some good, and they waited and watched the sun set in a slightly less dark mood.

Later that night, when the moon was high in the sky, Galadriel found Elrond and asked to speak with him, and Celeborn and Arwen went to find Celebrían and keep her company, as she did not like being left alone now.

Galadriel looked at him piercingly for a few long moments before speaking.

"With your gift of foresight, you must know what paths she is considering." She said finally.

Elrond inhaled and exhaled slowly. "I have seen the paths she might take, but I know not which she is leaning towards." It wasn't exactly true. Elrond's gift of foresight did not show him the future straight out in front of him, like Galadriel's mirror could, but rather the power given to him with his Ring of Power, Vilya, allowed him to more accurately perceive the factors that went into situations, and with his wisdom, experience, and studies, he was able to look down the various paths things might take and to predict with great accuracy what paths the future would hold. Sometimes this resulted in visions or dreams, but more often he just made guesses, though very accurately. Knowing Celebrían as he did, of course he knew her thoughts and her heart. Middle-Earth now held horrible memories for her, memories she might not be able to get past. Elrond couldn't heal her mind like he could heal her body. Leaving could help her heal her mind. But Middle-Earth also held her children, her parents, the valley she loved, and him. He knew she was considering leaving. He knew it was a difficult decision she was struggling with. He was just too afraid to consider how close to deciding to leave she was.

"You do know." Galadriel said, looking at him gently. "I think she will choose to leave Middle-Earth. She does not want to leave your side. But she feels she must; I do not think she can ever truly be happy here any longer."  
Elrond closed his eyes and sighed, unable to think of anything to say for a good while.

"Do you think she will recover?" He asked finally. "When she gets to the Undying Lands?"

"She can heal there." Galadriel said carefully. "The magic and power there, being safe from danger, and those there may be able to help her. She will have a better chance than if she stays here, even with all of us to help her. I think she will heal in the end; she is strong- most elves could not survive this, but she may. You know that."

Elrond knew his mother-in-law well enough that he did not miss the pain and fear hidden in her voice, though.

"She is." He said, feeling weak, and going to sit down on a nearby bench. Galadriel, more gracefully, sat next to him.

"You will see her again. It will not be long before the Elves begin to leave Middle-Earth, and you will be reunited with her then. You are not alone, Elrond. You still have us, your children, and great friends among Men and Elves. Many would do anything for you."

Elrond just looked at her, feeling tears build behind his eyes, unable to speak. To hear Galadriel say all of this made the possibility of Celebrían's leaving all too real and terrible. Celebrían was his everything; he hated to spend a day without her, let alone an age.

"Go, be with her." Galadriel said softly. "She is not gone yet, and you still need each other."

Elrond found Celebrían talking to Arwen, who said goodnight to her parents and left when Elrond walked up.  
Celebrían watched Arwen go and turned to Elrond as soon as she was out of earshot.

"I am sorry about this morning." She turned her eyes to his, and Elrond noticed her eyes were focused now, more than they had been of late. Perhaps her conversation with Galadriel had helped somewhat.

"No, do not apologize, meleth." Elrond said, running his fingers through her silver hair. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"All the same. I hate that I keep making things harder on you."

"Please, do not worry about that. You know I gladly share your burdens, as you always have mine. And mine have not been few, either." He said with a touch of a smile. "For now just focus on what you need, and I promise, you are not making things harder for me. I love you, Celebrían"

"I love you too, Elrond." Celebrían said, almost smiling. Almost.

He took Celebrían's hand and silently walked beside her back to their chambers. They didn't say anything else; they didn't need to. She hadn't yet made her decision, but they both knew what was likely.


	7. Revenge, and Decisions

A week after their arrival, Elrond found himself alone with Galadriel and Celeborn. Arwen was taking Celebrían for a walk in the gardens she had used to care for, trying to entice her out of the chambers Celebrían had spent the past four days in, as her nightmares had taken a turn for the worse.

Now in his counsel chambers, Elrond and Celeborn both sat in stony silence while Galadriel paced silently and slowly around them, an anxious habit of hers.

Suddenly, she stopped and stared at Elrond.  
_  
"What?!" _She gasped, aghast, and Elrond and Celeborn looked up in surprise.

"I did not...?" Elrond was certain he hadn't spoken aloud.

"I apologize; I did not mean to read your thoughts, but you hardly were hiding them." Really, her son-in-law should know by now to be more careful around her. Her startlingly blue eyes still pierced his, considering.

"Elrond fears this attack was no accident." Galadriel clarified to Celeborn, who had been looking between them and waiting for explanation. Her eyes still did not leave Elrond's, and beside him Celeborn tensed and drew a sharp breath, waiting for Elrond to finally speak.

"Celebrían was traveling with a sizable guard of fully capable elves and quite a number of warriors. The company was attacked in the evening before the sun had even fully set, which is unusual for orcs, no? It is not as if Celebrían can not defend herself in an attack as well as any of us can, yet she was unable to get away. This seems too planned; they knew who she was, it was her only taken from the company; the rest they left or slayed. They knew she would be rescued and they did little to prevent that from happening, while one would think they might. By the time Elladan and Elrohir found her she was hardly guarded but clearly still alive, and weak. They could have slain her easily, is that not an orc's wont? Yet they did not, they wanted us to find her still alive. Does that not seem like a targeted attack, with more aim than the random violence of orcs?" Elrond's voice was laced with anger now.

"You are right," Celeborn sighed wearily. "If I were willing to have thought to piece it together I may have reached the same conclusion. I do now." He paused and sighed again before continuing. "Our only child, and your beloved. If one wished to weaken or to warn, through the very core, both of the most powerful of the Elven realms remaining in Middle-earth with just one blow, what easier way to strike than this?"

"While remaining hidden and subtle." Galadriel finished for him. "Who do we know practicing in such fashion, and calling on orcs to do his bidding?"

She sank on the bench between them, her arms folded.

Neither responded, the answer was obvious. Sauron, the Dark Lord, vanished but not vanquished.

There was a long silence while the three of them each sank deep into their own thoughts.

"The damage is done." Galadriel said softly after a long while. "If this was part of a plan, it has happened, and we have failed miserably at this stage. If it was a warning, we have seen it too late. Far too late."  
Neither had an answer for this, either, and silence returned.

"Do not tell her." Elrond pleaded suddenly, and they both turned quickly.

"Surely you realize that she will wonder it herself eventually." Celeborn raised an eyebrow.

"But not yet." Elrond looked down, weakly. "She has had enough to occupy her mind recently, this can not help. She will feel it is her fault; and only worry more about us."

They both nodded agreement after a moment and Elrond thanked them and rose, unable to focus on such thoughts any longer.

While Celebrían was still with Arwen, Elrond now went to find Erestor and Glorfindel, in case his attention was required with anything in Rivendell affairs. It would distract him well, at any rate. He thought to himself, now, how he much owed his friends for completely taking over all his work right now, and Celebrían's too, on top of the rest of their responsibilities, so that he could spend all his time with Celebrían.

They continued telling him that nothing required his attention, just trade agreements they could easily handle alone, but Elrond seriously doubted that they would have allowed him to do any work even if a war had suddenly been started or if Eru himself had come and knocked down the doors of the House.

When he did find them, however, they continued to express their worry about the twins, so Elrond left his advisors to find his sons.

Elrond found the pair out in the stables, returning from a ride.

"Adar!" Elrohir noticed him first, surprised to see his father out. "Has something happened?"

"No, fear not. May I have a word?" Elrond looked between his sons, who nodded and followed him out to where there were some benches outside.

Elrond twirled Vilya around his finger, trying to decide how to start.

"You are worried about us." Elrohir said flatly, starting for him.

"Yes." Elrond answered. "As are Glorfindel and Erestor, and your sister."

"We are fine." Elladan said almost shortly, or as shortly as he dared to be to his father.

"Really. Because you do not seem it." Elrond looked at him raising his eyebrows, before adding more softly, "and you do have much reason not to be."

Neither answered for a good few minutes. Elrond waited, his eyes boring into theirs.

"How could this have happened?" Elladan burst out, rising and turning away from them. "I know terrible things happen to good people but this! To Naneth? To you?"

"Is it true that she is thinking of leaving?" Elrohir asked more quietly. "Daernaneth told us."

Elrond watched Elladan for a moment before answering Elrohir. "Yes, it is true. But she has not yet decided for sure."

Elladan stood unmoving, facing away from them still, and Elrohir moved to comfort his father.

"There is no reason for why this has happened, or for why anything ever happens. Events in this world unfold as chance allows, and all we can do is accept what we must and deal with them the best we can." Elrond finally answered Elladan's outburst question.

"The only way I would like to deal with things is to go slay every orc in Middle-earth." Elladan turned back, his dark eyes flashing, and Elrohir tilted his head in agreement.

"As would I." Elrond smiled a little. "But your mother told me not to dwell on it, and she is right, so I say the same to you. It will help no one; revenge never does."

"It would help us." Elrohir said slowly, his eyes on his twin. "Maybe not you, but I think it may be something we need to do."

"Maybe you are right." Elrond said, eyeing them carefully. He said nothing of what he had just discussed with their grandparents, though he was sure they shared his theory, and that it was the main source of their new-found anger. "However your mother would not approve, and I plead you not to worry her. I also hope that you will give thought to my words: giving in to anger hurts you yourself much more than the pain you could inflict on any orc. If you must seek revenge, then I will not stop you, but I beg of you to take care not to let your temper control the rest of your life. You may hate orcs, but do not let that cause you to hate everything that is still good in this world."

Elladan sat back down next to his father and was silent for a few minutes.

"We will be careful not to let anger consume us, and we will heed your words." He said finally.

Elrond drew him closer and pressed his lips to the top of his head, like he would an elfling. "I am glad to hear it. Your mother still needs all of us. And your sister needs you, too."

"And you." Elrohir said gently.

"And me." Elrond said quietly after a pause, and they both embraced him.

"I am sorry we have been so distant Adar, we are here for you too, always." Elrohir said.

"_Are _you well, Adar?" Elladan asked him.

Elrond started to answer, but then Elladan cut him off.

"Do not try to lie like you always do. We will not believe you." Elrond actually smiled at that.

"Then no, I am not. I have lost too many already, and now your mother…" He trailed off.

The sad and sympathetic look Elladan gave him made Elrond instantly regret being honest.

"You will not lose us, Ada, I promise." Elrohir told him.

"We will put off slaying the entirety of the orc population until we make sure you are well." Elladan said, helpfully.**  
**  
Elrond chuckled and shook his head.

"If there is anything we can do…." Elrohir offered.

"You will let us know?" Elladan finished for him.

"You have my word." Elrond nodded, and the three of them walked back to the house together. Elladan and Elrohir were now laughing slightly more like their usual selves, but in Elrond's heart the dread that things were yet to get worse remained.

~*~*~*  
That night, Celebrían and Elrond had retired early and were alone in their chambers. Celebrían stood at the window looking out over Imladris, and Elrond had just finished changing out of his dinner robes and into less formal ones. He heard her sniffle slightly and, realizing she was crying, he was at her side in an instant. She leaned into his embrace, wrapping her arms around him, too. When her sobs quieted some, he asked her to talk to him.

"Elrond." She started, tears still trailing down her face, looking into the depths of his eyes. She could hardly bear to say what she had to say, but it needed to be said. "I know you knew I might make this decision, and I have. I must leave Middle-earth. I can not face the thought of leaving you, Elrohir and Elladan, Arwen... but even more I can not face the thought of staying here. Middle-earth holds too many horrors for me; I can not feel truly alive here again. I need a new start, even if I have to begin it without you." She cried harder now, unable to keep her eyes open and squeezing them shut.

Elrond pressed his lips to her forehead and then rested his own forehead against hers.

"I know." He said shakily, though his voice was still stronger than he felt. "I would give anything to have you stay. But I would give more see to you happy again, even if that means giving up you."

He would give anything to follow her, but he had responsibilities here he could not give up for anything. His children, for one, were not ready to leave, and he would not leave them alone. His responsibilities were to Imladris and to Middle-earth, and they were not over yet. His responsibilities to his heart would have to wait.

As his own tears began to fall, she buried her head against his chest as his warm tears fell into her hair.

"It is not forever. We will be reunited and happy in Valinor eventually. I promise." Once before she had promised never to leave him, though, she realized. Perhaps she should stop trying to make promises of the future. "I leave my heart in Imladris with you, while I send my mind and body off to heal."

"And I send my heart with you." He spoke past the lump in his throat.

After what Celebrían had suffered at the hands of the Orcs they hadn't had any romantic contact since she had returned, nothing beyond comforting hand-holding and hugs; he knew she could not bear to be touched right now. So when Celebrían took ahold of his face almost aggressively and caught his lips in hers, Elrond was surprised. He quickly returned it, holding her in a gentle embrace and kissing her passionately, knowing it could be one of their last. The kiss was long, and when it finally ended they spent awhile looking at each other silently, memorizing each other's familiar faces before they would not see each other for so long.

Elrond thought painfully of all the years they should have left in Middle-earth, everything they had left to do together; watching their children marry, everything left that was left to happen in Rivendell, centuries left of time he should have gotten to spend with her. It was unfair; was Elrond cursed to lose everyone he loved? His parents, his twin, and now Celebrían, the one he loved more than anything else in all of Middle-earth, with every bit of his soul. They had all left him. But still he could not bear to beg her to stay; he knew this was the way it had to be, and begging her to stay would only make things harder for her.

"I love you, Celebrían." Elrond said, his pain clear in his voice.

"I love you too." Celebrían echoed softly, stroking his cheek gently with her thumb, wishing she could soothe the anguish she saw deep in her husband's eyes. Though, even she did not guess the full extent of what he hid from her.

Eventually she led him to the bed, and they simply spent the night and long into the next morning laying close in each other's arms. Celebrían slept for a while, but Elrond slept not at all, wanting to be awake for every moment he could with her before she was gone.


	8. The Last Days

Celebrían did not leave for a little over a month after she made her decision; she decided to stay through the rest of the summer while ship preparations could be made. Even more than before, Elrond did not want to leave her side and they were constantly together wherever they were.

Celeborn and Galadriel kept their word and said nothing of Elrond's theory to Celebrían, and Elrond did not speak of it more yet either, though it weighed heavily on all their minds.

Knowing she was leaving seemed to help Celebrían somewhat, and she had more good days than before. She still had nightmares and panic attacks often, but she was also able to laugh more like her old self, even if many times it was just an act. The twins, too, were merry as normal and made everyone else laugh again. There was a solemnness in them that hadn't been there before, but Elrond was glad to notice that they could be cheerful again, too. Celeborn and Galadriel were to stay until Celebrían's departure, and they and the twins would go along with the escort to ride as far as the shores where the rest of the escort and Celebrían would set sail. Arwen decided to stay behind with Elrond, who was remaining in Rivendell. He had been willing to escort her as well, but he feared it was not a great time to be gone from Rivendell for days at once, and as Celebrían told him, it really did not make a significant difference to say their good-bye slightly earlier, even if it felt like it did.

Days drew by all too quickly for Elrond, and finally it was the eve of Celebrían's departure.

A feast of all Rivendell's finest had been prepared. It was attended by Elrond and Celebrían, their children, Celebrían's parents, Erestor, Glorfindel, and many other elves, including most of those closer to Celebrían who would be sailing West with her. They had the finest elvish wine, soft breads, fresh greens, and whole rainbows of fruits and berries to eat. Desert was delicious cakes sweetened with honey, and cherries in frozen cream.

It was a truly merry gathering despite the circumstances. Elves would have a hard time not being merry around good food and company, and there could be no better of either than they had that night.

Everyone ate plenty. Elrond and Celebrían reminisced over their lives together in Rivendell, telling stories of their children and embarrassing them with their tales of all the pranks Elladan and Elrohir had played on everyone. Arwen of course had plenty of tales to add of the twins' mischief, and even some their parents had never heard before. Then Celeborn and Galadriel told stories of young Celebrían, and she even looked almost peaceful, remembering.

After the meal they all moved to the Hall of Fire and continued their merry storytelling and song making until late into the night. Everyone was cheerful, even Elrond, but there was despair on his face despite his trying to hide it and it was not missed by any of his family. Lastly, Galadriel and Arwen together sang a song that captivated the attentions of all present. Afterwards most of the elves bid the Lord and Lady of Rivendell good-night, and Celebrían said her first set of good-byes to those she would not see in the morning. Erestor and Glorfindel were the last to leave, and then they too said good-night to Celebrían. Only the seven family members were left. Elrond and Celebrían sat together in a large and cushioned chair close to the fire, arms around each other, their hands entwined. Celeborn and Galadriel sat together across from them with Arwen between them, and the twins were on the floor with their backs against the stone beside the fireplace.

Everyone was more subdued now; the morning felt all too close. They talked for a little longer, and then everyone fell silent again.

"We should all get some rest." Galadriel finally said, gently.

Everyone got up slowly. Galadriel and Celeborn said good-night first, leaving the others delaying in the Hall of Fire. They left slowly, no one wanting the night to pass and bring the next morning. Celebrían and Arwen lagged behind the men.

"Oh Arwen, I will miss you every day that I am gone." Celebrían said with a slight sigh, running her fingers through her daughter's dark, silky hair. As empty and faded as she felt, she also felt she drew strength and light from her children. It would be hard without them now, on both sides.

"As will I." Arwen said, hugging her softly.

"You have grown into such a wonderful young elf- and I have not told you that enough." Celebrían smiled, her pride obvious in her eyes.

"It is all because of you." Her daughter returned the smile. "But I will miss you so, so much Naneth."

"I know." Celebrían turned her eyes down. It was watching her children grow more that made her choice to leave almost impossible, but she knew she would not be well if she stayed and she would not have them see that. Still, she would not get to see her children marry, if they did in Middle-Earth, which was likely. And if any of them chose to stay, as was the choice of their bloodline, she would not see them again. There was still so much time she should have had left with Arwen, the twins, but now she would not have it. "I am sorry."

"I know it has to be this way, but I wish things had happened differently, still." Arwen said, and Celebrían took a moment before answering.

"Sometimes I feel horribly angry that this happened, and at myself, for not being able to move on here. I hate doing this to all of you, I hate making your father lose me, after what happened with your Uncle…" Elrond had already lost so many, even from a young age. His parents had left him, his brother had chosen mortality. Maglor and Maedhros were lost, and Gil-Galad, too, Elrond had lost. Long ago Celebrían had promised Elrond that he would not lose her, and now it seemed she would be forced to break that promise. It was not forever, they could still be reunited. Still though, Celebrían hated adding herself to the list of those Elrond had lost.

"Oh, Naneth. Do not blame yourself; this is not your fault. You are doing what you need to do and we all know it. We do not blame you in the slightest."

"I know." Celebrían said softly. "Thank you. But, Arwen, you surely do know your father blames himself. This is not easy for him." Celebrían went on more softly, asking her daughter one last thing. "And I fear he can not get over that on his own; he will need help. You will help him?"

"Of course." Arwen told her mother. "He has me, and Elladan and Elrohir. And Glorfindel and Erestor, and half the men and elves in Middle-Earth. We will all be alright, I promise."

Celebrían smiled. "I will believe you." She and Arwen hugged again. They stayed like that for a long time before they finally said good-night, and Celebrían walked with Arwen to her chambers before finding Elrond.


	9. The Parting of Celebrian

The next morning dawned all too early and bright. Neither Celebrían nor Elrond slept at all, despite each arguing to the other that they should rest since the next day would be long for both of them. They had both given up, though, and spent the night walking through the gardens and looking at the stars, as they had done often when they were younger.

When the sun rose, Celebrían walked around the Last Homely House one more time, mentally saying good-bye to all the places she loved.

"I will miss the smell of books in here." She said to Elrond in the library, a favorite place of them both.

"I am sure they have books in Valinor." Elrond had smiled.

"Yes, but it is not the same…" She trailed off, spinning slowly to take in every last detail one more time.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, and all to soon everything was prepared and the elves lined up in the stone courtyard, Celebrían's party ready to depart. She and Elrond were the last to walk down the stairs, Celebrían holding tight to Elrond's hand before she would have to let go to say her other farewells.

They reached Glorfindel first. He embraced Celebrían warmly, wishing her luck, and she thanked him for being a good friend during these long and wonderful years they had spent together in Rivendell. Next was Erestor, who Celebrían held close for a moment before letting him go.

"Watch over Elrond." She whispered to him.

"You have my word." Erestor answered just as quietly, and Celebrían stepped back, smiling her thanks.

"We will miss you!" Glorfindel told her. "I look forward to the day when we will meet again on new shores!"

When Celebrían came to Arwen, there were tears in both of their eyes as they embraced.

"Be well, illel nin." Celebrían whispered softly. "Be happy, and remember how much I have always loved you."

"I love you, Naneth." Arwen answered, her voice faint, but she smiled at her mother.

"Tye-mélanyë, Arwen." Celebrían said, kissing her forehead gently.

Finally, Celebrían turned back to Elrond, smiling sadly, as he pulled her into his arms, and she closed her eyes. The elves around them were politely distracting themselves, though neither Elrond or Celebrían would have acted differently, anyway.

"How do we do this?" He said, softly, tears already running down the lines of his face that had subtly aged so much these past months. "I can not say it, Celebrían…"

"Please take care of yourself, Elrond. Do not forget yourself worrying about everyone else." Celebrían told him with as much strength as she could, new tears starting to form in her eyes, too, when she opened them and looked into his. The pain she saw there, and felt, knowing him, was almost unbearable.

"I promise." He told her quickly, his voice raw. "And you do not worry about me. Worry about healing yourself, and I will see you soon." Elrond fought to keep his mouth and face steady, to hide his tears at how deeply destroyed he was. He did not want her to see too much of his pain, to worry about it when she should be healing herself.

"I promise." Celebrían stroked his face one last time, and then kissed him, though it was cut too short by both of their crying.

"Celebrían…" Elrond whispered tearfully, his forehead against hers, his arms around her unwilling to let go. He felt an overwhelming emptiness spreading through him, already, a loneliness like he had not felt for ages.

"I love you, Elrond." Celebrían said fiercely. "More than anything, and probably more than you imagine, even after all this time. Remember that, and remember that we will meet again; that meeting is not so far off."

"It is much too far off." Elrond said, his voice dull and dead. "But I will remember, always. I love you too Celebrían, with all my heart and soul."

"G-"_ Good-bye._ Celebrían had started to say, but the words disappeared into a sob halfway through the first syllable.

Elrond shook his head, and he hugged her one last time, burying his face in her hair against her neck.  
She held tight, wondering briefly what would happen if she never let go, if they could let the ages until Elrond could leave with her pass without moving from that spot.

How was she to leave him? He had been her strength through this, through everything since late in the Second Age. Without him, the best she could do was fade without him having to watch...

"Go." He said, his voice barely a whisper, his lips close to her ear. "Until we meet again."

"I love you…" Celebrían said once more, starting to force herself to pull away.

"And I love you." Elrond breathed painfully, finally allowing himself to release her.

Galadriel took Celebrían's arm gently and helped lead her away and onto her horse. Elrond stood, not letting himself break down as they rode away. Arwen stood at his left side, and together they watched the company ride out of the valley. When they reached the top of the hill on the end of the valley, just at the edge of eyesight, Celebrían turned back for one last look at Elrond, putting her hand over her heart.  
Elrond echoed her movement, bowing his head slightly, just for a moment.

When he looked back up, she was gone.

Elrond, Arwen, Glorfindel, and Erestor dined together that night. No one could bring themselves to say a single word, not even Arwen. Elrond kept his head down, looking at his plate, but he was glad for their presence. After saying good-night to Arwen and excusing himself, Elrond slowly walked up to his chambers, changed into sleep things, and lay down. Waves of missing Celebrían washed over him, being in their chambers without her, and he felt a deep ache spread through him. Fresh tears began to fall, but he patiently let them, as he had been expecting this. Finally he fell into a restless sleep.

After a few hours he was awoken by the noise of a bird outside his window. He spent a couple blank, hazy seconds feeling fine, as if the last few months had never happened; for that fraction of an instant it was just another day.

Then everything rushed back all at once, and, turning slightly to Celebrían's empty side of the bed he again broke down in sobs, pressing his face into the pillow that she had slept on beside him for so many years. Eventually his sobs subsided in time to get in an hour or so of sleep before the sun rose. Tomorrow he would return to his work and attempt to restart his own life. He would be strong for his realm, for his friends, for his children. He would behave as the prestigious and noble Elf-Lord he was, acting whole and strong. And one day, maybe, he would believe it again himself.

* * *

illel nin- my daughter.

Tye-mélanyë,- I love thee (Quenya)_  
_

_(I don't know if this is as sad for everyone else reading it as it was for me writing it, but I do hope it came across well! After writing the Elrond and Celebrían's farewell part I felt so bad for him that I had to go write Elrond something happy, so as a sort of sequel I wrote "Together Again." Its got some definite AU so I'm not sure I accept it as head canon enough to put it as a chapter here, but it's their reunion after Elrond sails West. Definitely go read, though, if you need a happy Elrond moment as much as I did!_

Thank you for reading, as always thank you for reviews! :)


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